With Ewan Pearson helming their recent singles, Lost Valentinos have been serving up great combinations of angular guitars, dark synths and heavy beats, taking indie rock out for a night on the dancefloor. But it's Lost Valentinos' oppressive and sinister aesthetic and their experimental tendencies that make them shine this bright. Big things are sure to be found ontheir debut album, Cities Of Gold.

- Shazam

With Macbooks and Korgs in their hands, bedroom producers are getting younger and better all the time. But the star atthe top of the list is Shazam, a 19 year old disco savant out of Australia's West. His glittering party tunes are pool-side bound and deliriously cool, simply demanding you have some fun.

- Snob Scrilla

After a fantastic debut EP in 2008 that featured some of the most exciting hip hop tracks of the year, Snob Scrilla is prepping the release of his Day One LP. Street single 'Houston'boasts the same shout-along, intense choruses and broad, bold production strokes that made the EP enthralling and can mean nothingbut good things for the full-length.

- The Elephants

Denmark’s The Elephants sound like the long lost children of Brian Wilson, such is the sweet and sandy inspiration that flows through this quintet’s languid popmusic. Currently wrapping their second album, you can expect to be head-over-heels by the time the northern Summer rolls around.

- The Hundred in the Hands

With only one single under their belts (the instantaneous joy of Dressed In Dresden), Brooklyn duo The Hundred In The Hands could goanywhere from here. Who knows? Dressed In Dresden could be an enormous fluke and the pair decide they only want to make reggae or black metal or a frightening hybrid of the two. But going on that single's love ofGang of Four guitar-slashes and driving, distorted basslines we think they're a pretty safe bet.

- The Sound of Arrows

Sweden's finest indie imprint, Labrador, uncovered pop-boffins, The Sound of Arrows last year. With two singles of skewed candy-coated indie-pop under their belts we're expecting things to get even better this year.

- The Temper Trap

The Temper Trap make music that will break your heart and shake your soul. A steady momentum built on the Australians' shimmering single, Sweet Disposition is now gathering pace (including a spot in the Zooey Deschanel indie-bait movie 500 Hundred Days Of Summer) and getting set to explode with their guaranteed-classic debut.

- Wale

As if releasing one of the most widely-spread,highly-acclaimed and generally entertaining mix tapes of last year wasn't enough,Wale has assembled a dream team of producers for his debut disc (see: Cool & Dre, Green Lantern, will.i.am, Dave Sitek). If the US MC maintains his ear for good beats and knack for great lyrical turns then the hype should translate into a very solid debut.

- Wiley

London grime master, Wiley, cuts his skills to record like he has a belt of dynamite strapped about his torso. Having just unleashed the blazing aural onslaught that is See Clear Now, Wiley is now gearing up to global release of anothe rhip-breaking long player, Race Against Time. By Matt Hickey, Matt Shea, Dave Ruby Howe and Oliver Queen